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Published: August 8th 2007
Off to the waterfall
Carefull with that sushi! 13 people on a tiny pickup van.magine this - it is 4am on our first night in Lanuza and there is a commotion, the dogs (all three of them - white dog, black dog and brown pregnant again dog) are barking and there are raised voices as the guards are woken. In the morning we discovered that our neighbour had a cockroach crawl into her ear and had gone off to the local hospital, apparently quite a common occurrence. The cockroach was drowned with oil and then removal attempted but they had no aurascope and only removed the body so the next day she had to travel to Surigao to see the ENT specialist with equipment. A four hour trip on unmade roads, to have the head of the cockroach removed. It took just minutes with an aurascope to remove the rest of the cockroach but the neighbour had to they stay overnight and return next day as the roads are not good enough to travel on in the dark. This emphasises just how different life is here and how long even every day activities can take in an area where there is limited access.
The guards are here from the Philippine army as there is
No wheelies please!
Lester on the back of Matts bike shortly to be elections here. There are four of them billeted here to keep an eye on what is going on in Lanuza because of the high concentration of foreigners - 8 of us, residents and visitors - interesting chaps to have a chat with.
We have been out and about in the town, everyone is very friendly and greets you “what is your name?” and “where are you going?” are common salutations. Each day we need to do a bit of shopping and collect water for drinking. There is plenty of lovely fresh fruit (mangos and pineapples) and vegetables available but they do not keep well in this climate, hence the daily trip to market and shops. We have also seen Matt’s offices, met with his colleagues, the Lanuza Mayor and the local Doctor, and we have seen around the local health centre.
Another way of passing the time of day is to paddle up the river to the mangrove swamps in Matt’s boat. This has been carved out of a single piece of wood and is a common local mode of transport on the river. We can sit on the balcony here and see the fishermen
In the board "factory"
Vacuum bagging a board to ensure good contact between the foam core and bamboo weave while the resin is setting. This one will be on its way to Japan. and traders paddling up and down during the day. The other main mode of transport on the unmade roads is the motorbike and we have both been with Matt for a ride. Lester went up into the mountains and saw the logging trucks. Matt and I went off to Madrid, one of the next towns, to the market and to use the internet café, no internet here in Lanuza.
Most of the travel here is done on the local jeepneys or trikes and as you will have seen on the blog previously these are brightly coloured and are packed full of people, their shopping, bags, sacks and anything else you want to move around. People crowd in, hang on the back and sit on top.
The other visitors staying here are Taka and Mayuko are from Japan. With Jade and I we had one special trip to a local town about an hour away to see the weavers co-operative where they make and sell jewellery made from a local fern called Agsam. The fern is very fine and strong and can be woven to make lovely necklaces incorporating glass, wood beads, pearls, and shells. They also make earrings,
Brollys up
Taka keeping the sushi dry and cool on the way to the picnic. belts, bags and hats. Of course we needed to buy a few souvenirs.
One of the main attractions here is the surfing. It is just the tail end of the wet season which is also when the surfing finishes until the autumn. However Matt, Taka and Jade managed to find some wave in the afternoons.
One of the main employers in the area is Matt’s neighbour Richard; he produces hand made bamboo surf boards here and sells them in Australia, America and Japan. Taka is the distributor in Japan. We have been to see around the small factory and learn about their production, each board is hand crafted to the requirements of the surfer. Each one is a work of art.
The rainy season was supposed to have finished by now but it is still raining! Every day it pours down, warm and wet. The water lies everywhere and makes everything damp. It is very difficult to dry any washing and even yourself after a (cold) shower as towels and bedding are damp and feet are always wet. Everyone carries a brolly, useful in rain or shine. You will see brolly’s up on the back of trucks,
Waterfall
This was our wash and brush up on the way for our picnic lunch. on the beach, in the boats and on the motor bikes. Half an hour of bright sunshine helps to make everything feel a bit drier, so when you walk through the town you see the washing on the path, fence or line to dry and the rice, cooking wood and coconut out to dry on the road. The highway is also where the children play and there is even a basket ball court set up in the road. Jeepneys and trikes weave around the obstacles, no need for speed bumps here.
Sunday is a family day and starts with church in the early morning and then family lunch and entertainment. We joined Matt’s neighbours for a visit to the local falls for a swim and then a picnic lunch at the home of an American living here. 13 people riding in one small pickup truck! We were also joined by an Australian who lives here. We each contributed to the lunch, traditional Filipino cooking, Taka’s sushi, lots of different sweet and savoury salads and BBQ’ed fish. So it was quite an interesting multicultural mix of food and conversation.
Lester is preparing breakfast. As with everything here it takes
time to boil the kettle on the gas ring, mix the powdered milk for cereals and prepare the mangos. It is like camping in a way. Houses are basically only bedrooms, store rooms and wet rooms all the other activities take place out of doors, great when the sun is out but not so good when it is raining.
We are now in Cebu having travelled on the Batchelor Express bus from Lanuza to Surigao to catch the overnight ferry to Cebu. Imagine travelling in a crowded London underground carriage in rush hour and then imagine doing that for five hours over the “rock and roll” mountain track, three to a seat and people standing in the isle, that’s express! Then onto the overnight ferry, similar to those on the Jersey run 30 years ago, but this one has just rows and rows of bunk beds and you sleep cheek by jowl with your neighbour, a 12 hour trip. Then we had a day in Cebu for shopping and treated ourselves to a decent hotel and hot shower before the flight to Hong Kong and then home.
In all a great holiday, a very beautiful place to visit,
everyone is welcoming, warm and friendly and in spite of the negative Foreign Office advice about travel in Mindanao, it feels very safe. For those who like a holiday with a bit of adventure, to an area unspoilt by tourism, then this is the place to be. We have enjoyed every minute here and are very proud of the work that Matt is doing here, in a challenging living and working environment.
Noeline and Lester - heading home
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Cecile
non-member comment
Cockroach hell
You've just convinved me not to make the trip to Lanuza- what would a cockroach look for in someone's ear?? I am starting to miss my two years of friendly house sharing with big fat Australian cockroaches only interested in stealing food from the pantry. At least, this must be by all means an exotic trip and unforgettable experience. Thanks for your entries on the blog and have a safe trip back to England. Best wishes, Cecile